GRADUATE ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Here is what Meghan’s nominator said about her:

“I first met Meghan in August 2022 to chat about the DRC student organization (formerly known as Speakers Bureau), which I oversee. After meeting with Meghan, who was a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program, I quickly learned that advocacy work, especially in higher education, was something that is very near and dear to her heart. Through ongoing conversations, I learned about her own experience as a student with a disability, including the challenges and victories of navigating various spaces, like college. After this, I was excited to explore ways to partner with her to create opportunities for meaningful engagement with our students. I worked with our director to create a graduate assistant position, one of whose primary responsibility would be working to rebuild our DRC student organization that had waned during COVID. In case it’s not evident yet in this nomination, I was beyond thrilled to offer this graduate assistantship to Meghan….and she said yes!! 

Throughout her position, Meghan has demonstrated commitment to the mission of the DRC including student well-being. Together, we recruited talented DRC students for this organization and engaged in activities with them to co-construct a new name that better aligned with the vision for the group. Thus, the DRC Ambassadors were created with a revitalized purpose and vision. Using disability education and advocacy as a framework, DRC Ambassadors foster civic responsibility, community building, and self-advocacy as they share their stories, experiences, and knowledge of their disability with others. Students have the opportunity to contribute to panels and presentations aimed at educating the campus community about disability issues. I am proud to say that our current group of DRC Ambassadors includes a wonderful representation of undergraduate and graduate (both masters and doctoral) students with various disabilities. With Meghan’s leadership, we have cultivated a group of student leaders who truly want to have a positive impact on the campus and Athens community. We now have a dedicated group of students who attend biweekly meetings to develop and implement various student-run programs to achieve these goals. 

Further, Meghan has been critical in the planning and development of one of the DRC’s outreach initiatives, which entails building collaborative partnerships with middle school students within the Clarke County School District (CCSD). She has worked to design and create a pilot program where the DRC Ambassadors engage in three series of workshops with eighth grade students who currently receive accommodations through IEPs or 504 plans. These workshops will focus on educating and preparing students for the transition to college and the college accommodations process. Meghan and I are partnering with the CCSD Transition Specialist to present our proposal to the principals of the middle schools so we can implement this beginning in the fall 2024 semester. 

Meghan also serves as an accommodations coordinator and has a caseload of DRC students seeking academic accommodations. Whether it be in conducting initial interviews with students, explaining how various accommodations work, or discussing strategies on how to overcome challenges, it’s evident Meghan works to not only ensure that UGA and USG processes are followed but she does so in a way that creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for her students. Given her clinical background and experience performing psychological evaluations with UGA’s Center for Counseling and Personal Evaluation (CCPE), Meghan is uniquely skilled to support the holistic development of students in her approach working with DRC students. 

She has been invaluable in her role with the DRC and has also supported the intake process of new applications by reviewing assessment data in documentation to determine reasonable accommodations for students with ADHD as well as learning and processing disorders. The one word I would use to describe what Meghan has created and achieved in her short time with the DRC is MAGIC. Observing first-hand how our DRC Ambassadors have built a community where they belong and want to engage is pure MAGIC. Watching Meghan thrive in her role as an accommodations coordinator and helping equip students with skills to navigate challenging situations is pure MAGIC. I have no doubt that the DRC, UGA, and her future field will benefit from her ongoing passion and commitment!”